Mighty Vine comedian

3:00pm Tuesday 13th May 2008

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Stand-up comic Tim Vine will blast Dartford with his machinegun style non-stop jokes on May 18. He told Michael Purton about the factors which shape his act.

Tim Vine is simply funny.

In an era when most stand-up comedians try to incorporate a political message into their show, Tim simply tells jokes.

He describes his act as "the audience come in and I do joke joke joke, prop, joke joke joke, silly song, joke joke joke and then we all leave none the wiser."

This is not because he lacks political and social beliefs - Tim is a Christian.

But rather because he feels it is his job to make an audience laugh, not to educate them.

"I don't think that audiences want to be preached to.

"If it says comedy on the ticket then the reason they've arrived is to be made to laugh."

"I don't think audiences want to be preached to."

And he certainly does that, with his quick-paced one-liners not giving the audience a chance to stop laughing from one joke before they're hit with another.

"I do like jokes that are short but get a big reaction," he said.

"The ultimate aim is to create a laugh that lasts longer than the joke and to keep a constant stream of laughter."

This style of non-stop jokes means that Tim has to devise a huge amount of material for his shows.

Seeing him on stage casually firing off jokes, it seems he is making them up on the spot. But a lot of dedication and hard work went into preparing his latest show, Punslinger.

"I started writing this show in November and I'd often go and sit down in a coffee shop with a pad and paper and scribble for an hour.

"The ultimate aim is to create a laugh that lasts longer than the joke and to keep a constant stream of laughter."

"Or I'd book a room in a library and spend the whole day there with a guitar and a dictionary."

This dedication has paid off, with the current tour going well and a string of awards in his past.

Quips like "One armed butlers - they can take it but they can't dish it out" and "Velcro - what a rip off" have landed Tim the prestigious Perrier stand-up comedy award.

His stand-up success has also transferred to television, with a starring role in BBC sitcom Not Going Out and his own comedy shows.

"One armed butlers - they can take it but they can't dish it out?"

This success can be partly attributed to the fact that his act does not include swearing or explicit material, and therefore can be enjoyed by all the family.

"Perhaps my faith made me decide to make my act clean, but really it's because I'm doing silly stuff so my act would not be helped by swearing.

"If I thought swearing would make my act eight times funnier it may be more of a temptation to do so."

"Perhaps my faith made me decide to make my act clean, but really it's because I'm doing silly stuff so my act would not be helped by swearing."

And it is this love of making people laugh which drives Tim to keep creating jokes and performing?

"If you ask people what is important in life most would say that laughter is pretty high up on their list.

"I'm just happy to be able to make them laugh."

Tim Vine, Punslinger. The Orchard, Dartford. May 18. 7.30pm. 01322 220000.